Improved sewing-machine motor



" UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

ELISHA SHIVER, OF COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA.

IMPROVED SEWING-MACHINE MOTOR.

Specification form/ng part of Letters Patent No. 81,219, dated August18, 1868.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ELIsHA SEWER, of Columbia, in the county ot'Richland and State of South Carolina, have invented a new and ImprovedSewing-Machine Motor; and I do hereby declare that the following isafull and exact description of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon. Y

This invention consists of an improved sewing-machine motor soconstructed and arranged as to be capable of application to any form ofsewing-machine now in use, and intended to supersede the laborious andoften painfully-operated treadle.

In the drawings, Figure l represents a side view of my motor, with partof one of the supporting-plates broken away to disclose the gearing.AFig. 2 represents the face of the opposite side, with balance-wheel andattachments and Fig. 3 represents the balancewheel detached, showingclearly its peculiar construction of wings.

The same letters refer to identical parts in all the figures.

In order that those skilled in the art of constructin g such machinerymay be able to make and adapt to use my improved motor, I Will proceedto set forth more fully its construction and operation.

A and A are two side plates which support the axles of the variousWheels in the motor. They are connected and held at a suitable distanceasunder by four posts, to which the plates may be secured in any proper4manner.

Near the middle of the plates are two strong' shafts, a, a', which havetheir bearings in the plates, and project one through one side and theother through the opposite side of the supporting-plates. On theseprojecting ends are coiled springs B B', each of which has one end fixedto the shaft and the other attached to a drum, U C', which incloses thespring and is permanently secured to the supporting plates. Upon theshafts a a are tirml y secured cog-wheels b c; b, on the shaft a, havingxed to itself and on the same axis a smaller wheel, d, so arranged andof such diameter as to gear into the wheel c on the shaft af, thusconcentrating upon one shaft, a, the combined force of the two springs.The Wheel b acts through Athe wheel, a stop or catch, h.

any proper intermediate gearing (in this case another set of cog-wheels)upon the drum c. This drum is adapted, by its dat periphery and centralgroove, for either band or cord, which is to drive the sewing-machine.

On the sh'ai't of the drum e is secured another cog-wheel, arranged togear into a smaller wheel, the axis of which extends through thesupporting-frame and carries a balance-wheel, D. This balance-wheel isprovided on its outer side with wings g g g g, pivoted on the side ofthe wheel in such a manner that they may be turned either in linesparallel with the respective radii on which they are pivoted, or at anyangle therewith, so as to present greater or less surface to the air andretard more or less the rotation of the wheel. The edge of the wheel isserrated, andabove its center there slides, between guides t' i and intocontactwith y Its motion is limited by a pin, K, which passes throughthe guides and a slot in the catch, which slot permits the catch to beraised out of contact with the teeth without clearing the guides. To theupper part of the catch is attached a string, and on the upper end ofthe string a hook of size and shape suitable to hook over a thread.Across the upper edges of thel supportingplates is arranged a dat bar,l, through which passes a set-screw, m. To the lower end of this screwis attached, in any proper manner, a wire or band, n, which, by therevolution of the screw, may be made to bear on the axle of the drum, oron a friction-Wheel xed thereon, thus retarding in any desired degreethe motion of the entire machinery. The springs are wound up by means ofa key acting on a shaft and and thrown upon the machinery by means of aspring-pawl and ratchet-wheel on the secondary wheel b 5 orratchet-wheels may be fixed on the ends of `the shafts which support thesprings, and the pawls which hold them may 'be pivoted to the fixeddrum.

This whole device may be so compactly constructed as to be setunderneath the ordinary sewing-machine without occupying as much spaceas the treadle now in use. The thumbscrew of the motor should extend upthrough a proper opening in the table, and the fly- Wheel should bearranged toward the front of the machine, in order that it may bereadily reached by the operator.

Its operation is as follows: When the ma chine is wound up, the force ofthe springs being thrown upon the machinery it is thus set in motion,and the drum c revolved. The band ofthe sewing-machine being attachedthereto, the motion ot' the drum is transmitted to the machine. Thebalance-wheel D, by means of its adjustable wings, regulates andsteadies' the motion, making it uniform. The` small cord is ofsufficient length to reach some part; of the thread, and the hook on theend of the cord hooked over the thread, the length of the cord beingsuch that when thus hooked the catch h is lifted out of gear with thewheel D. In case of breakage of the thread the catch is permitted tofall on the wheel D, and thereby the whole motive machinery stopped atonce. The hook may be used, also, if desired, independentlyof' thethread, by being caught over a rod 'or any other suitable arrangement.By means of the brake a and screw m the motion of the wheels may beretarded to any degree Without any waste ot' power, the force of thespring being extended only in proportion as it unwinds. The arrangementofthe two springs and their connected gearing admits of the applicationof greater force, and at the same time distributes the force morefavorably for the machinery.

It will be observed also that the springs and fly-wheel are located onthe outside of the oase.

I am aware that sewing-machine motors have been heretofore used 5therefore I do not broadly claim the application of a spring-motor to asewing-machine;- but Having thus fully described my invention, what lclaim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States,is-

l. A sewing-machine motor, when arranged and constructed with the doublesprings and shafts a and a', gearing, drums, and brake n, and adapted tobe placed under the ordinary sewing-machine, substantially as and forthe purpose set forth.

2. In connection with the motor so constructed, a balance-wheel, whenprovided with wings, constructed and arranged as and for the purpose setforth.

3. In combination with balance-Wheel of such a motor, the catch h, withits cord and hook, all arranged to operate as and for the purpose setforth.

This specification signed and witnessed this 9th day of July, 1868.

' ELISHA SHIVER. Witnesses:

W. W. BoYcE, H. W. BEADLE.

